My life partner occasionally mocks my musical choices with ridiculous scatting. I suppose much of the mainstream jazz I enjoy sounds corny to people who aren’t in love with the form. Diavola can’t be easily lampooned.
The choices Gabrielle Cavassa makes on her new album are wonderfully understated. The flawless approach allows her to breathe new life into a pair of Day-Glo relics. Interpretations of Barry Manilow’s “Could It Be Magic” and Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” are of a piece with the reminder of the album’s exquisite torch songs.
Cassava doesn’t deserve all the credit. Several of the world’s best musicians- Joshua Redman, Jeff Parker, Paul Cornish, Larry Grenadier and Brian Blade- accompany the vocalist. Their imaginative playing and Cavassa’ elegance makes goofing on Diavola impossible.